Dowding Industries, a contract supplier of fabricated and machined components, has purchased two machining systems from MAG Industrial Automation Systems for production of wind turbine components and large, critical parts for other big-machine makers. A MAG Cincinnati U5-1500 five-axis profiler and a MAG Giddings & Lewis PT 1800 horizontal boring mill are the centerpieces of a new, state-of-the-art, 35,000 square-foot machining facility in Eaton Rapids, Mich.

MAG did extensive application and time studies based on wind generator part prints provided by Dowding, according to Jim Foust, sales engineer for VMC Technologies, MAG's channel partner in Michigan.

"The studies included machine recommendations, fixturing, setups, tooling, cycle times and earnings per hour," says Foust. "MAG addressed the risks and unknowns, giving Dowding the comfort level, as newcomers to large part machining, to make such a major commitment."